The present disclosure relates to an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus.
Two methods, i.e. stationary document reading and fed document reading are known as a reading method of an image forming apparatus. In the stationary document reading method, a document is placed on a contact glass and pressed against the contact glass by a platen mat, a document feeder or the like and a document image is read by the scanning of a reading unit. On the other hand, in the fed document reading method, a reading unit is fixed at a predetermined position and a document image is read while a document is fed on the reading unit.
In the fed document reading method, a document discharge guide is arranged downstream of a document reading position to separate a document fed to the document reading position from the contact glass. If there are two contact glasses, i.e. a contact glass for stationary document reading and a contact glass for fed document reading, a base end part of the document discharge guide is arranged under the contact glass for fed document reading utilizing a space between the two contact glasses. On the other hand, if there is one contact glass, the document discharge guide is arranged on the contact glass. In this case, a problem occurs in which the leading end of a document being fed collides with the document discharge guide. To solve such a problem, a transparent reading sheet may be provided between the contact glass and the document being fed and an image may be read via the transparent reading sheet and the contact glass.
In the above disclosure, a document passes the document reading position while being rubbed against the transparent reading sheet. Thus, hard coating is applied to a document conveyance surface of the transparent reading sheet. However, even if such hard coating is applied, the transparent reading sheet is scratched depending on a document to be fed. If the transparent reading sheet is scratched, the reading light quantity of the scratched part decreases, a blank part of the document becomes a dark image (fogged image) and a black part of the document becomes a bright image due to light reflection on the sheet. Further, hard coating applied to the transparent reading sheet leads to a cost increase of the transparent reading sheet itself.
The present disclosure was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to provide an image reading apparatus in which a transparent reading sheet and a document being fed are difficult to scratch and an image forming apparatus provided with the same.